On Thursday 20 July, the Law Commission’s recommendations on electronic trade documents became law as the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 secured royal assent. The Act, which is based very closely on a draft Bill published by the Law Commission in March 2022, allows for the legal recognition of trade documents such as bills of … Read more >
On Tuesday 11 July, the Law Commission’s recommendations on espionage became law as the National Security Act secured Royal Assent. The Act, which includes several Law Commission recommendations set out in the Protection of Official Data report, aims to modernise counter-espionage laws and address evolving national security threats. It was first introduced in the … Read more >
The Government has today announced the appointment of Sir Peter Fraser as the new Chair of the Law Commission of England and Wales. Sir Peter will play a pivotal role in overseeing the Commission’s law reform and making key strategic decisions. Alongside the other Commissioners, he will be instrumental in leading the Commission’s work to … Read more >
The Law Commission of England and Wales has today published recommendations for reform and development of the law relating to digital assets. Digital assets – which include crypto-tokens (sometimes referred to as ‘cryptocurrencies’) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – are used for an increasing variety of purposes in modern society, such as for investment, for making … Read more >
The Law Commission has today been invited by the Treasury to undertake two projects to review the legal frameworks governing co-operatives and community benefit societies, and friendly societies. The Commission has been asked to consider whether the current statute law which governs these organisations is fitting to their nature and needs, and whether the current … Read more >
The Law Commission has today published proposals for reform of sexual offences prosecutions. Every year in England and Wales, around 128,000 adults – over 90% of them women – report to the Crime Survey of England and Wales that they are victims of rape or attempted rape. The trial process is an integral step to … Read more >
The Law Commission has announced that it is looking for a new Public Law and Law in Wales Commissioner, who will be instrumental in leading law reform. The Law Commission is led by a Chair and four Commissioners, who play a crucial role in the evolution of law in England and Wales. The role of … Read more >
The Law Commission of England and Wales has been asked by the Department for Education to review the legal framework governing the social care of disabled children to ensure that the law is fair, modern and accessible, allowing children with disabilities to access the support they need. The law on children’s social care is currently … Read more >
The Law Commission of England and Wales has launched a review of the laws which determine how finances are divided among couples after divorce. Commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the new law reform project will consider the use of financial remedy orders: orders for financial provision between couples at the end of their … Read more >
The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission have today published reforms for Government to improve outdated surrogacy laws. The use of surrogacy – where a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child to be brought up by another family – has increased in recent years, and is recognised … Read more >